Cup of Coffee

March 29, 2017: The End

36 Comments

...of my grandfather. Probably. Soon.

He would appreciate the smartass running gag.

My grandpa has been gone for a year or so. His mind left him, and first he forgot the youngest grandkid, then the next, and so on. Then my generation left, and eventually, so did his own children and wife (who's been gone since 2004). Still, his impending death - I've been told to expect it within the next couple of days - is proving tough to deal with. Grandpa Wells overcame alcoholism on January 1st, 1980 in an extremely rare instance of a successful New Year's resolution. He shed his anger for a better version of himself, to the point where those of us in my generation sometimes have a hard time believing he spent so many years battling demons.

Grandpa Wells was a huge Twins fan. I suppose I'm sad he didn't get to see the next upswing of the team, but he was glued to the set during the two world championships, so it's all good.

I'm fine, I think. I don't know how I'll react when the call comes in, but all the same, he's been gone for a while and therefore the big moment of catharsis probably isn't around the corner. Instead, this is one of those losses where I have to remind myself that a part of me is gone, even if it was such a gradual loss that I never saw it coming.

Hug your loved ones, or whatever. I certainly don't have anything new to add to the conversation about death, but I do know it sucks. Love to all of you, Citizens.

36 thoughts on “March 29, 2017: The End”

  1. No matter how much we think we're prepared, it seems like it's always hard when the moment comes. You are in our prayers. If you want someone to talk to, you know how to get hold of me. Best wishes always.

  2. My grandma went in a similar way. While I don't think she totally forget who we all were, she was so confused about everything else it felt like I had lost her at least 6 to 12 months before. The day she died it was more grief for my dad than for myself. Here's hoping everything is peaceful and everyone can support each other.

  6. Ugh, sorry spooky. My grandmother hadn't lost a drop of memory, but the rest of her body betrayed her over the course of her final year. Watching her suffer physically definitely eased some of the pain.

  7. Grandpa did end up going this morning at about 5:30. I wanted this to be easier because he's been gone for a while already, but the finality is still making it the same as always.

    I also think grandpa would have snickered at the fact that the random photo for this CoC was the one with the mummy. My occasionally dark sense of humor is loving it.

    1. I went through a similar thing last summer with my grandmother. It had been years since she'd recognized me.
      But the sadness was the same, maybe more because my kids got to see her but only the oldest got to meet her, and I wished they all could have.

    2. My sympathies to you. When someone we love dies it's a hard thing, no matter the circumstances.

    4. You grip a waxed hand that once fell trees
      And gaze at glassy eyes that used to ponder
      The morning sky,
      A deer in flight
      The starry night.
      Consider not this cosmetic rendering of age
      Be not misled by elements confused
      Who have forgotten their rightful tasks
      The flesh, to blush
      The air, to move
      The blood, to flow
      Recall a man who smoked a pipe with even breath
      Whose presence commanded more than just a wheeled chair
      Remember the roots beneath a mighty tree

    1. I don't put a lot of stock in that one. If someone says Suzuki is a better defensive catcher than Castro they simply haven't been paying attention. Obviously Berrios hasn't turned the corner yet--he hardly pitched this spring. What were they expecting? And the comment about Mauer--"If there's a man on third, he'll get him home"--that's supposed be damning? There are a lot of guys who can't get a runner home from third consistently. I'd say that's a pretty valuable skill.

      Sure, the Twins could turn out to be the worst team in the league. That's hardly news. But I think there's a better chance they won't be.

      1. I agree. That was horrible. No new info at all other than wring info - Suzuki was a good defensive catcher?!

        1. Brian Dozier is a dead high-ball hitter, but even if he hits 30 home runs, they could lose 100 games.

          Such daring prognostication!

      2. I would say it's safe to say that the worst team in the league last year has a good chance to be the worst in the team this year. That's hardly deep insight. The Twins used to be scouting darlings. Maybe the fact that the scouts don't like them is a good sign. Castro's career OPS is better than Suzuki's and Castro is left-handed, and he's 3 years younger and the metrics say Castro is much better than Suzuki at least in pitch framing. Saying you would prefer Suzuki to Castro makes me seriously question how much of an authority these so-called scouts are.

    2. Minnesota has brought a lot of guys up before they're ready. Byron Buxton is still a dead pull hitter. With his speed, he should be going the other way, he should bunt, and he doesn't.

      I really like that Molitor isn't trying to pigeonhole Buxton into a leadoff batter. If he can continue to hit for power like he did in September and this spring, he could be up there with Mike Trout as a rare power/speed combo.

        1. Right. Bunting should be that extra club in the golf bag that you pull out for special occasions.

          There might be a lot wrong with the Twins, but the examples they used in the article have me doubting their credibility

      1. Heh. I wanted to respond to that earlier.

        If you look at his hit location data for 2016, he had 99 PA end with balls pulled (a miserable slash line of 222/222/343), 207 up the middle (a middling 324/321/415), and 95 opposite field (a spectacular 421/421/758).

        so turrible that he's an opposite-field hitter now.

        For his career:

        pull 349/348/469
        mid 335/332/471
        opp 436/428/689

          1. I could get behind this.

            Also, shouldn't this mean that pitchers should be jamming Joe inside all the friggin time these days?

Comments are closed.